Reggae fans, musicians feel slighted by the fair

The San Diego-based reggae group High Tide, which performed at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach last week, was rejected when it applied to play at this year's San Diego County Fair. (Sean M. Haffey / Union-Tribune)

The San Diego-based reggae group High Tide, which performed at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach last week, was rejected when it applied to play at this year's San Diego County Fair. (Sean M. Haffey / Union-Tribune)

The Del Mar Fairgrounds quietly dropped its long-running reggae festival from this year's San Diego County Fair after fielding complaints last year about blatant pot-smoking in front of youngsters at a Ziggy Marley show.

Reggae fans and performers say they believe the reggae festival was canceled to avoid a repeat of last year's controversy, and they are criticizing fair officials for not being upfront about the reason.

Fairgrounds spokeswoman Linda Zweig said “scheduling problems with the promoters” were the reasons no reggae acts were booked this year. However, despite repeated requests, Zweig couldn't provide examples of reggae artists who were contacted with offers to perform at this year's fair.

Two reggae groups said they were denied a slot at the fair, and other reggae artists said no one returned their calls. A local promoter who has organized previous reggae festivals said she was told months ago that the fair “wasn't doing reggae.”

Last August, after the all-ages Marley concert, parents stormed into a fair board meeting to complain about marijuana use at the show. The board adopted a new policy in October.

It restricts reggae shows held during the fair to adults 21 and older and requires strict security measures that could include pat-down searches. Reggae performers have to sign a contract prohibiting them from using or promoting illegal drugs while on the property of the fairgrounds.

The rules don't affect the dozens of other concerts and events held at the fairgrounds and racetrack throughout the year.

San Diego resident David Ramsay, who attended the past three reggae festivals, said it's “really hard to believe” the fairgrounds couldn't fit a reggae show into the 22-day lineup.

“The excuse they're making doesn't really sound right,” Ramsay said.

Makeda Dread Cheatom is a San Diego reggae promoter and the executive director and founder of the World Beat Center. She has helped plan the fair's reggae festival since it began in 1997. She began calling the events coordinator in March and eventually was told by an assistant that her services wouldn't be needed, she said.

“I called them to give them the lineup and work with them, and they said they weren't having reggae this year,” Cheatom said. “Nobody ever talked to me, and I book a lot of the acts.”

Cheatom said the festivals normally attract about 10,000 people. Zweig said the fair doesn't keep attendance counts for free shows, but added that the reggae concerts are “popular and heavily attended.”

Cheatom said she assumed the decision was because of the problems with marijuana use and thought it was understandable. But she didn't realize until recently that the fairgrounds officials didn't explain anything to groups that were turned away.

“I just think that they really owe the reggae people an explanation,” Cheatom said. “It could have been done another way.”

Zweig said repeatedly that the lack of reggae artists on the lineup was unrelated to the new security policy for reggae concerts.

“I looked into it, and it is as I mentioned to you, scheduling problems with their booking agents,” Zweig wrote in an e-mail.